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The National Weather Service has issued a Lake Effect Snow Advisory for Niagara, Orleans and Erie counties including all of East Niagara.

The weather service says that between 3 and 5 inches of snow is expected to fall between early morning and 2 p.m. Along with the snow, winds of 15 to 25 mph - with gusts of up to 35 mph - are expected. The snow coupled with the wind will result in blowing slow and visibility as low as a quarter mile at times.

At least a 50 percent chance of snow is in the forecast for the remainder of the week with frigid temperatures, as low as 0 degrees on Friday.

Podgers, Seekins and Barrancotta were greeted by nearly 100 people as they left City Hall on Monday, including Police Chief Larry Eggert, Mayor Mike Tucker, former Lockport Lockport Police Chief Neil Merritt and Niagara County Sheriff Jim Voutour. Brown was not at Monday's ceremony.

The retirements allow the department to avoid what could have been four layoffs, as the city's 2014 budget called for four less officers than were allowed in 2013. The 2014 budget also reduces the number of city firefighters by eight, a member of the building inspection department, a staff member from the clerk's office, a position within the youth department and one person from highways and parks.

Tucker has said that some of the eight firefighter jobs could be saved in much the same manner that the police officer jobs were saved - through attrition by retirement. There has not been any announcement of that happening, however. Nor has there been any announcement of which eight firefighters would be let go. Those positions are slated for elimination on Wednesday - Jan. 1.

Even with the staff cuts, the $23.7 million general fund budget required a 2.3 percent increase in the city tax rate.

The Artz Gallery & Cafe in the Lockview Plaza, Main and Pine streets, closed abruptly early last week according to the owner of the space.

The cafe proprietors, Heather and Doug Clubb, left town without notice while the owner was in Florida, he said. The owner told ENP that the couple, one of whom is his daughter, took equipment with them that he hadn't finished paying for yet.

The Clubbs had moved to Lockport from Nebraska earlier this year for the purposes of opening the shop.

The coffee shop and cafe had been open since October, offering assorted coffees, sandwiches and baked goods. It allowed local artists to display their works on the walls and featured "meet the artist" events and "open mic nights."

This afternoon the walls were barren. The building owner said the Clubbs took the artworks with them.

The owner released a statement on the Artz Gallery & Cafe Facebook page:

The Artz Gallery & Cafe is not responsible for debts or agreements made by Heather or Doug Clubb. They are no longer a part of the cafe. If they made an agreement with you, it is between you and them. We apologize for any misrepresentation made during their time at the cafe. If something in the cafe belongs to you please contact us and we will get it for you. Thank you for your patience in this.

The owner said he can not afford to reopen the shop. At this point, he's simply trying to recoup as much of his losses as possible, he said this afternoon.

The space has hosted numerous coffee shops in recent years but none of them have lasted very long.

It's about to get cold in East Niagara. And with the cold will come more snow.

There is snow likely today with a high of 19 and a low of 14. Tuesday's high will be 23, while the low will be 12. Snow is a 90 percent probability.

That's where it get's ugly.

"An area of low pressure moving from the Ohio Valley to the mid-Atlantic and southern New England will bring widespread accumulating snow to the region Wednesday night through Friday," according to a hazardous weather alert from the National Weather Service. "Very cold weather will persist much of the week from Tuesday night through Friday. Wind chills will occasionally become very cold, especially towards the end of the week."

An early-morning altercation in a Town of Lockport apartment complex ended with harassment charges for 40-year-old Andre Thompson.

According to a report by the Niagara County Sheriff's Office, Thompson's downstairs neighbor in the apartment building at 6596 Dysinger Road asked that he turn the television down shortly after midnight. The neighbor states that as she was walking down the stairs that she was kicked in the back by Thompson, causing her to slip down the other two stairs and hit her hand on the window.

The complainant had a large red mark in the middle of her back, according the the NCSO report. Patrol spoke with Thompson, who denied kicking the complainant. He said they had words and he closed the door on the complainant.

Thompson was charged at 12:45 a.m. and issued an appearance ticket directing him to appear in the Town of Lockport Court at 5 p.m. on Jan. 7.

The Niagara Wine Trail's December event, Holiday Happenings, was expected to run the first two weekends of the month. Due to unfortunate weather during the second weekend of the event, though, it was extended throughout the month.

The wine trail reminded ticket holders via their Facebook page that they still have until Tuesday to use their Holiday Happening tickets.

Schulze Vineyards & Winery is offering a special through the end of the year, as well. As announced on their Facebook page this afternoon, "For the rest of the month of December we will be offering a set of two flutes with the purchase of two bottles of our Brut. Also if you purchase a one bottle of either of our Ice Wines you will receive a set of two Ice Wine glasses."

The winery also said that with either deal comes a handy Schulze corkscrew!

The wine trail announced "Our wineries will be open New Years Eve. It's the perfect way to experience the wineries this time of year with family and friends."

A early morning fire a Drake Settlement Road home resulted in the homeowner being taken to Eastern Niagara Hospital-Newfane for smoke inhalation.

The fire, reported at 2:48 a.m. started in the kitchen, according to the Niagara County Sheriff's Office report. Patrol entered to investigate and found heavy smoke inside the kitchen and a fire burning above the microwave area, which patrol sprayed with a fire extinguisher. Patrol then observed fire coming out of the west wall inside the kitchen, exited the residence and waited for Miller Hose Fire company to respond.

The homeowner, Richard Wiseman, was treated at the scene and later transported to the hospital for further care for smoke inhalation.

The National Weather Service calls for a 20 percent chance of rain today and a 40 percent chance tonight. The unseasonably warm 42 degree high will be replaced by a low in the teens overnight, where it will stay for the foreseeable future.

Monday calls for a high of 18 and a low of 12 with a chance of snow. New Year's Eve, snow is nearly guaranteed with a high of 24 and a low of 12. New Year's Day calls for a high of 14 and a low of just 2 degrees. More snow is possible. Thursday features more snow and a high temperature in the teens.

A 28-year-old Newfane man was arrested early this morning and charged with numerous violations by Niagara County Sheriff's deputies.

According to the NCSO report, Joseph R. Kress of Ketchum Avenue was observed leaving the Meadowbrooke apartments without wearing his seatbelt. Patrol attempted to stop Kress but he began to travel at a high rate of speed. Patrol caught up to the vehicle several blocks away and observed the vehicle enter a Ketchum Avenue driveway. Kress was observed exiting the vehicle and crouching down behind another parked vehicle at the residence.

When patrol interviewed Kress, they determined him to be intoxicated. He denied operating the vehicle and refused to take any field sobriety tests or chemical test to determine his blood alcohol content.

He was charged with driving while intoxicated, drinking alcohol in a motor vehicle, aggravated unlicensed operation, not wearing a seat belt, refusal to take a breath test and not wearing his seat belt. He was remanded to the custody of the Niagara County Sheriff in lieu of $750 bail and ordered to appear in the Town of Newfane Court on Tuesday.

A Friday morning fire destroyed a detached garage and all its contents at a Gasport home.

According to the Niagara County Sheriff's Office, the structure fire at 3821 Dale Road was called in at 8:14 a.m., but by the time emergency responders arrived at the location, the garage was fully engulfed with flames.

Patrol spoke with the homeowners, who stated they were not sure how the fire happened. Both stated they had been in the garage at some point during the morning hours on Friday but that they were unsure of how the fire started. The homeowners did say that the wood stove located inside of the garage was on.

The garage and all of its' contents appear to be a total loss. Those contents include a 2004 Pontiac GTO, A 1999 Chevy Blazer, five Arctic Cat Snowmobiles, misc. chain saws, tools, a toolbox and welder. The fire also damaged the siding on the home and camper at the address.

The Lockport Pub is holding its own New Year's party from 9 p.m. until 2 a.m. with music by DJ Chris "Roboroc" Williams and a champagne toast at midnight. They also offer bottled champagne for $25 or 2 for $40 and promise to make food all night long. Call 201-1270 for dinner reservations of to reserve your champagne.

21st Amendment has an all-night license and will feature live music by the Commie Hunters. The party goes until 5 a.m. Call 433-0021 for details.

The Niagara Hotel also has an all-night license for New Year's and will offer live music by Mad Solution, giveaways, a free buffet, a balloon drop and free champagne at midnight.

According to the service, "after a brief spell of milder weather this weekend, much colder air will settle south across the region Sunday night through the upcoming week. After Tuesday, low temperatures will cool to the single digits south of Lake Ontario, while locations east of the lake dip to minus 5 to minus 10 (degrees)."

The alert says that "daytime high temperatures will struggle to get out of the teens Wednesday and Thursday. The very cold temperatures will be accompanied by lake effect snow at times."

Today is forecast to be clear with a high of around 42 degrees and a low in the mid-30s. Sunday will offer a high of 40 with rain before dropping down to about 17, which is the projected high for Monday. Snow if forecast for Sunday night through New Years Day.

Strong wind is likely the culprit for a small cluster of homes in Hartland without power this morning.

The group of homes in located in the general vicinity of Pearson and Robson Roads. National Grid says power should be restored to those home by 1:30 p.m., although a crew has not yet been assigned to fix the situation.

A 21-year-old Slayton Settlement Road woman reported this morning to Niagara County Sheriff's deputies that she was stabbed Thursday in the City of Lockport.

The complainant said that she did not report the incident to any police authorities at the time of occurrence, further stating that her injuries were minor and already bandaged. She told NCSO that she would like to seek further medical treatment at ENH-Newfane but did not wish to file a report and could not identify or describe her attackers. The complainant was transported the hospital.

NCSO contacted Lockport Police Department Captain Doug Haak to advise him of the alleged incident. Haak dispatched LPD Officer Michael Stover to the hospital to complete an incident report. NCSO turned all information over to Stover.

According to the NCSO report, at approximately 12:10 a.m., two unknown males entered the store, one of whom pointed a black pistol at the clerk. The two males proceeded to move around to the front of the counter and the one who displayed the pistol demanded all the money from inside the cash register.

The clerk told NCSO that he removed the till from the register, and turned over an estimated $122 to the male, who then demanded that the clerk empty the safe below the counter. The clerk told them that he did not know how to open the safe, at which point both males exited the store and left in an easterly direction.

The clerk told sheriff's deputies that he observed an unknown vehicle leave the parking lot and continue east on Telegraph Road, at which point he activated the panic alarm and contacted NCSO. Middleport Police were first to arrive on scene at approximately 12:14 a.m.

According the NCSO report, surveillance footage showed that the suspect with the gun appeared to be a white male, approximately 5-foot 9-inches tall. He was wearing a black colored Carhartt style coat, a black colored hooded sweatshirt with the hood pulled up over his head, a white colored rag covering his face from the nose down, dark blue colored jeans, black gloves, and dark colored boots.

The second suspect appeared to be a white male approximately 5'10'' tall, slightly taller than the first suspect to enter the store. The second suspect was wearing a light colored hooded sweatshirt with the hood pulled up over his head, a white colored rag covering his face from the nose down, dark colored jeans, and boots.

A description of the males was immediately provided and Orleans County was advised of the incident. Niagara County Sheriff's Office CIB and ID responded to the scene upon request of Middleport Police. Middleport Police Department is handling the original complaint. A report was written by patrol for CIB and CSI.

Niagara County Sheriff's deputies arrested a 55 year-old Kenmore woman on Christmas Eve for allegedly attempting to shoplift $213.51 worth of clothing and candy from the retail store.

According to the police report, Dinah Chambers of Glencove Road in Kenmore was detained by Walmart security for leaving the store without paying for merchandise. Patrol made contact with the suspect, who produced a NYS driver's license identifying herself.

Chambers was taken into custody by patrol, charged with petit larceny and released on an appearance ticket. She is scheduled to appear at the Town of Lockport Court on Jan. 21.

A Lockport man told Niagara County Sheriff's deputies that he had found a handgun. The Simms Road resident told NCSO that he had located his Raven Arms P-25 pistol a year after having reported it missing to law enforcement. It was in the back of his safe.

Patrol secured the pistol and turned it into NCSO property for a safety hold until the complainant can contact the Niagara County Pistol Permit Office.

After one more day on relatively chilly weather, the temperatures will jump into the low 40s for the weekend — only to plummet back into the teens and 20s Monday and Tuesday.

The National Weather Service calls for snow showers today with a high of 31 and an overnight low of around 28. Saturday's high is expected to be 40 and a low of 25. There is no precipitation forecast for Saturday. Sunday's high will be around 40 again with a chance of rain or snow. On the low side, it will drop into the teens. Monday and Tuesday both offer a chance of snow with a high of around 20 and lows in the teens.

New York State Police in Lockport concluded an investigation today into the passing of forged checks in Hartland with the arrest of five subjects.

According to a press release from State Police, they responded to a local gas station/convenient store in Hartland for the report of five checks being cashed which were determined to be counterfeit.

The following subjects were arrested and charged with for criminal possession of a forged instrument in the second degree, a class D felony, and petit larceny, a class A misdemeanor, in relation to this investigation:

A 19-year-old Lockport man was arrested Monday morning and charged with shoplifting from Walmart on South Transit Road.

According to the Niagara County Sheriff's Office report, Michael Bell was recorded on Walmart surveillance video taking a Nintendo DS, valued at $199.96 and placing it "on his person and exiting the store." He was detained by Walmart security and held in the manager's office until NCSO arrived, when he was taken into custody.

Bell is scheduled to return to the Town of Lockport Court on Jan. 23 to answer the charges.

That white Christmas the National Weather Service promised came to fruition. With it, it brought the cold.

It's currently hovering in the teens in East Niagara with a forecast high of 25. Snow showers are likely today, mainly after 3 p.m. Total daytime snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible - just enough to make for good photos.

Thursday, more snow is expected with a high of 30 degrees and a low of 19. Friday is expected to be party sunny with a high of 28 and a low of 24. Saturday will get back into the high 30s and low of 32.

Cold temperatures today and Christmas morning mixed with a good chance of precipitation mean area residents are likely to have a White Christmas this year.

The National Weather Service calls for a high of 20 today with an 80 percent chance of snow. The temperature is expected to drop into the single digits tonight with flurries. Christmas Day's high and low is 24 and 23 respectively with a 50 percent chance of snow during the day. Thursday offers a high of 29 and a low of 21 with more snow likely.

There is a flood warning in effect for Tonawanda Creek in the Rapids area. As of 8 a.m., the creek was at 15.1 feet and rising. It's expected to crest at 15.2 feet this afternoon. Flood stage is 12 feet.

As of Christmas Eve morning, there are still about four dozen power customers in East Niagara still waiting for electricity.

The majority of National Grid customers without power are either single homes that had the lines from their homes to the grid cut by the storm or a handful of people on a single street. The largest block of people without power is still in Gasport, where about 30 customers are affected. The power company says those homes should have their power restored by noon. There also a few homes in Newfane, Royalton, and Hartland.

In the Town of Lockport, one NYSEG customer on Slayton Settlement Road is still waiting for service to return.

What started out as the hunt for the perfect Christmas tree nearly landed the sister of a Carmen Road
man in jail.

According to the Niagara County Sheriff's Office, the Barker man called NCSO Sunday afternoon because he was concerned there were two cars in his driveway that didn't belong to him. The man told dispatch that he hadn't seen the cars himself, rather a neighbor had called him and told him about the vehicles.

When sheriff's deputies arrived on scene, they found the two cars in the driveway unoccupied.

"Behind the residence to the east is a large open field," the report states. "Five persons were observed in the field, walking toward the residence. Patrol believed the persons to possibly be trespassing hunters. However, due to distance, patrol could not determine whether or not the parties were armed."

As they approached, the five parties were advised by deputies to keep their hands out of their pockets. One of the five identified herself to patrol as the sister of the property owner. She said she was trying to find a Christmas tree in the back field with friends. She also said she had left a note on her brother's door saying she was doing such.

Deputy Keith Hetrick asked if they had found a good tree, but the woman said they had given up and were leaving when NCSO had arrived.

As Hetrick was talking with the woman, the property owner arrived and confirmed that the woman was, in fact, his sister. Patrol cleared without incident and no charges were filed.

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO - Members of the Lockport Police Department watch around midnight as a worker from Adams Towing removes a car from the side of the First Baptist Church at the corner of Pine and Genesee streets in Lockport.

As of 11 p.m., there were still about 200 customers in East Niagara without electricity.

The majority of the outages remain in Gasport, where 154 National Grid customers are affected. They should have their power back around noon on Tuesday. In Middleport, 23 National Grid customers are powerless. They are also expected to have power back around noon Tuesday. Less than five customers are affected in Royalton and less than five are affected in Hartland.

In the Town of Lockport, 20 NYSEG customers are without service. Of those customers, 10 are on Windermere Road, six are on Grasmere Road, three are on Chestnut Ridge Road and the remaining is on Slayton Settlement Road.

City of Lockport, there are two NYSEG customers without power. One customer is on Davison Road and the other is on Grand Street.

A Lake Avenue man reported to Niagara County Sheriff's deputies on Sunday that someone has stolen his truck from his driveway overnight. The Niagara County Sheriff's Office responded with worth news; someone crashed it overnight.

According to the report, the Town of Lockport man stated that he had last operated his 2010 Dodge Ram at about 4 p.m. Saturday. He also told NCSO that he is certain his truck was still there at 8 p.m. Saturday. The complainant's son said he thought the vehicle was still there at 1 a.m. Sunday when he returned home from working.

After speaking with Niagara County Sheriff's dispatch, patrol was informed that the vehicle was involved in a property damage accident overnight and is currently on hold at Number 1 Towing. The investigation continues.

A Heather Drive resident told Niagara County Sheriff's deputies on Sunday that someone had gone into his parked Nissan Pathfinder while it was at his residence and damaged the car's GPS.

According to the report, the complainant said that nothing appeared to be missing from the vehicle, but did estimate the damage to the GPS to be around $300. The complainant stated that he was able to see footprints in the slush on the ground going from the road up his driveway to the vehicle and then back out to the road. However, due to the slush being melted, patrol was unable to secure any evidence of the footprints.

According to the report, patrol observed distorted footprints in the snow due to rain, and further observed what appeared to be bicycle wheel tracks leading from the side yard to the roadway. Sheriff's deputies checked the area for the bicycle with negative results.

The complainant told NCSO that he hadn't seen anyone in the area overnight.

The National Weather Service is calling for rain today and Saturday. They're certain of it.

The forecast for this morning is patchy fog and poor visibility before 9 a.m. That leads to rain today with accumulation up to a half an inch. The high temperature will be around 40 degrees and drop to around 34 degrees tonight with more rain - another half inch.

Saturday it will continue to rain with a high of 34 and a low of around 30. Flooding is possible.

Sunday offers rain or freezing rain with a high of 42 and a low of 27.

Monday's forecast calls for cloudy skies with temperatures dropping into the teens and snow likely.

A Mill Street, Middleport woman told Niagara County Sheriff's deputies that while she was shopping at Lockport's Walmart on Wednesday someone shoved her and made derogatory remarks to her.

The woman said the assailant pushed her, then followed her through the store. The complainant said the assailant swore at her and then said, "I am going to punch you in the face and I will find you."

Patrol attempted to find the assailant in Walmart with negative results. Patrol spoke with Walmart security and was advised that there was no video coverage in the area where the altercation took place.

Patrol completed a harassment informational report for the complainant and advised her to take it to the Town of Lockport Court to file the complaint.

Shortly after midnight, Niagara County Sheriff's deputies arrested a Newfane man on an outstanding warrant from Batavia.

Steven C. Lindemuth, 27, of Merritt Avenue in Newfane was stopped on Transit Road in Newfane for traffic infractions. When patrol checked the Lindemuth for warrants, they found one outstanding on a prohibited alcohol sales infraction out of the City of Batavia, according to NCSO report.

Patrol had communications contact the City of Batavia Police to confirm the validity of the warrant. The warrant was confirmed valid and patrol took Lindemuth into custody and transported him to the county border where they met with the City of Batavia Police, whom was given custody of him.

"Several waves of low pressure will likely bring significant precipitation to the area this weekend," the weather service states in their warning, noting the potential for flooding. It further warned that temperatures hovering around freezing on Friday "could result in significant accumulations of freezing rain or possibly some snow."

The forecast for today calls for clouds and a high in the upper 30s with temperatures falling into the low 30s tonight and an 80 percent chance of rain or snow.

Friday forecasts and 100 percent chance of rain with a high near 40. That rain is likely to change to snow Friday night as the temperatures dip into the low 30s. Saturday features a mix of rain and snow as both the high and low temperatures will hover around freezing. Sunday will see a high around 40 and rain. Then it will drop into the low 20s and snow.

A 19-year-old woman on Johnson Creek Road told Niagara County Sheriff's deputies Wednesday that sometime between 5 p.m. Tuesday and 10 a.m. Wednesday, someone shattered the passenger window of her 2004 Chevy Cavalier as it sat in the driveway.

The woman told police that she does not have any enemies and was unable to provide patrol with any suspect information. Patrol was unable to locate any evidence at the scene.

A 16-year-old female resident of Purdy Road told Niagara County Sheriff's deputies on Wednesday that a 29-year-old man has been spreading rumors about her on social media sites.

The girl said the man has been communicating with uninvolved third parties, and claiming that she has been engaging in promiscuous behavior. She told NCSO that the man has never attempted to send or receive anything sexually explicit via electronic device, nor has he ever made romantic advances toward her.

Patrol attempted to make contact with with the man, with negative results. The girl was told that the man's behavior is inappropriate but not illegal and that they would follow up with him at a further date.

A Ridge Road resident in the town of Hartland told Niagara County Sheriff's deputies on Wednesday that he believes a neighbor has been vandalizing his apartment.

According to the report, the woman says an unknown person "smeared dog feces on the outside doorknob of her apartment door." She also says that someone has also let the air out of the tires on her vehicle and cut a cord cut on an air conditioning unit she had on the front porch.

The woman believed she knew who the culprit was but NCSO had not been able to interview the neighbor.